Shock-absorbing device



March 1, 1955 H. A. Ross SHOCK-ABSORBING DEVICE Filed Dec. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l /NVEN7'OR A. r r A March 1, 1955 H, A, Ross 2,703,232

SHOCK-ABSORBING DEVICE Filed Dec. 8, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v //vv/vro/2 Harry A. Ross United States Patent-*@ 'ThiS iIIYCIItiOD. relates toshdckbbs'orbing devices and more. particularly.,buttnot...exclusively' to..shock-abs,orbers intended tfoi:,.use.;with containers; ,enclo'sing ,fragi-lezcargo.

or. contents, ;such.as radio-receivers andsimilaj'rapparatusn Iniits'; application.:to..sheck:absonbers for such containe. ers,:zth.invention.has for-litsl-main..ob ects to. enable the.

btilkhnibuter.dimensions;of thelcontainer. to be reduced, while ,aifo'r'ding.. ,better protectionto. .the :contents,. the.

shtick-absorber. .-,having :external. surfaces. ;free from. pro-1 jections so... that. .theacontainerucaneslide. across, or, along it. Irt'tall .;cases,.-. th.e -..shock.-absonbing. device.has. for its main object. to.-provide, for,.highflabsorptiorr.of energy, by

the springs, which are preferably pre-loaded to one-half. of their maximum or total compression.

Other 'tobjegtsmandg advantagess-.ofihtheainvention will hereinafter appear from thelfollo'wing description of a preferred embodimentand -two examples "of the applicatiomthereofl given with referenccrptonthe accompanying drawings, in-:wh-ich Fig. 1 isia plan view of the de'vicerin-a preferred-1cm:- bodiment, .one corner of the uppentplate beingnbroke'n away;

Fig. 2 is antend view, partly in CFOSSrSQCtiOI'l onrsthetline H t -II, 'ofirFig't l.

F-ig. ,3 isna longitudinal sectiontonigthe brolcezv line I I I-I H of Fig. 1 pattsbei-ngpmitted.

Fig. 4 is a detailx Fig. 5 shows/a modification of the deyieei-i Fig. 6 illustrates the combination of two devices such as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, to form a double unit applied as a base support for a load within a container, a single device or unit being illustrated as a side support.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, the shock-absorbing device comprises two substantially rigid plates a of oblong shape, made as steel or aluminum pressings, about six inches long and three inches wide, with rounded corners,

the side and end edges of each being turned over as flanges b, c, about half-an-inch deep. The flat central parts of the plates a are pierced and pressed to form a number of hollow bosses a, about one inch in diameter,

extending in the same direction as the flanged edges; 1

there are shown, for example, eight of these bosses, arranged in two rows of four, with the bosses staggered alternately towards opposite sides of the plates. Each of the side flanges b, c is pierced with two holes e, spaced apart at double the spacing of the hollow bosses d and located intermediately of two, so as to be staggered on the respective sides, as clearly seen in Fig. 1.

When the two pressings or plates a are assembled, their flanges b, c and their inwardly directed bosses d register with one another; coiled springs 1 about one and a quarter inches in diameter and about three inches in free length are engaged between the plates, each spring having its end coils fitted around two hollow bosses d in the respective plates so as to locate the springs in relation thereto. In Fig. 3, only two of these springs f are shown, those on the middle bosses at being omitted for the sake of clarity. After compression of the assembled springs, two t-ie wires g, each about twelve inches long, are threaded into the holes e at opposite sides of the plates, each wire g extending along the inside of the two bent-over side flanges b and from the holes e in one plate to those in the other, outside the flanged side edges of the plates. The two ends of each wire g are bent to hook shape and secured together, so as to fix the length of the looped wire to give a desired pre-loading or compression of the springs f; .the,.endslof, the.tieawiresi-may thent be locked, asshown .in Fig.4, by meansofterrules .h,'i.n'- dented on assembly, ,whichimay, be. conveniently arranged. within the.benteoversidefianges 'b after thties have been; fixed. T. The plates. may ,-be..provided .With Isuitablelmeansi. foi .;minimizing wear:,.o'f:.the tie-wires g in the neighbur... hoodi'of, .the aperturesor holes..e through; which ithey; pass, The absence of -tie 'wires...or.othanprojebtiohs: on... the central. load-bearing surfaces -offltherplates a .results in the, .latter. having free. sliding contact withfthe-icontainerr. 011;,0th61'. parts against .which, they press, -.witho,ut. making, contact with *the., tie-!wires.

The: .prercornpression of. thesprin'gs f by the, .te'nsionoffi the tie-wires g is preferably such as to representone-ha-lfl. of. their. total. possiblecompression; which ,7 is limited by the interengagement' of the: sideand end; flanges bfc ,of. thetwo platcs.-.

Inla modification, as illustrated in *Fig. 5, .the device, as:v described. above may. be. provided with additional springsi tfi'tted 'co-axially .within ,the, first set 7,.these.inner springs... abutting ,against .a pair of outer plates makingcontact with the. plates ya; the outer platesmay be held together eitherv by the same :tie-wires gorby similar but separatetie-wires, or again by headed ties. k passing axially through the nested springs f, i,.the.'heads ornipples l .of these, ties',.k :being engaged in countersunk recessesm upon the outer plates. j. The numberv of :these. additional springs 11' maybe .equaLto .tor...less. than,..that.-of. the: firstzset of; springs .1.

The [1. metal pre ssings-.. 01 plates betweem .-.which the springsiare .mounted and. localized. are v .normallymade: substantially hat, .but. in .some .cases they ,may. ;be curved; transversely or: ,zlongitudinally {to suit .t-containers. of :cylin: dric'aLbr; like. .shape, and. they. may beanadeaof -.'I'netals, othenthan. steel or aluminum.,

In, SOIHBQCELSGS, where longersmovements are. required,:\ double. ..or .;mul,tipl ,e units maylgbe, constructed by assemae blingnwo or ..more of.lthese.devicesrwith-,theaplates adn; contact the'.:platesof. contiguoustdevices. beingJbolted .ora riveted together; for this purpose, the plates..-are con-r veniently providedwith holes n as,.shown-.in -Fig.: .l, to re ceive .-.the connecting,,bolts-,-.or...rivets, .,.these ..holes abet, ingsarranged. in.;th,.c0r1161i82;leit Lvacant by. {thenstaggerw ing of the bosses a, 'so that access may be had to the bolt or rivet heads without diifi-culty. Such a double unit is shown in Fig. 6, where a container 0 such as a wooden packing case is employed for a radio receiver set p, the latter resting upon a double-unit shock-absorber q formed by the combination of two devices such as shown in Figs. 1 to 3. On each side of the receiver set, a single device such as shown in Figs. 1 to 3 is inserted between the set and the wall of the container. Any number of the double units may be provided as base support for the set p, and any number of the single-unit devices may be provided at the sides of the set and over the top of the latter.

It will be understood that by reason of the plates a of the shock-absorber devices pressing firmly against the set, the movements of the latter within the container will be controlled and limited, the pressure exerted by the top and base devices causing frictional resistance to lateral displacements of the set allowed by the side supports, and the pressure exerted by the side supports causing frictional resistance to vertical displacements allowed by the top and base supports. The use of double or multiple units results in greater protection without loss of efficiency and overcomes the difiiculty of buckling with long compression springs of small diameter.

The invention may also be applied to other purposes, such as anti-vibration mountings and shock-absorbers for the seats of vehicles.

What I claim is:

1. A shock-absorbing device comprising two rigid metal plates, coiled compression springs interposed between said plates and extending substantially perpendicularly thereto, said plates including hollow bosses projecting into the end coils of said springs, two corresponding edges of each of said plates being formed with flanges having apertures therein, and flexible tying means extending between said corresponding edges of said plates, said flexible tying means consisting of wires threaded through said apertures and extending along said flanges between pairs of said apertures, the extremities of said wires being secured together to form loops limiting the separation of said plates so as to maintain a predetermined minimum loading of said springs.

2. A shock-absorbing device comprising two rigid metal plates, coiled compression springs interposed between said plates and extending substantially perpendicularly thereto, said plates including hollow bosses projecting into the end coils of said springs, other coiled compression springs fitted coaxially within at least some of said firstanentioned springs, outer plates making contact with said first-mentioned plates, said outer plates forming abutments for said other springs, and flexible tying means extending between said outer plates, said flexible tying means limiting the separation of said plates so as to maintain a predetermined minimum loading of said springs.

3. A shock-absorbing device comprising two rigid metal plates, coiled compression springs interposed between said plates and extending substantially perpendicularly thereto, said plates including hollow bosses projecting into the end coils of said springs, other coiled compression springs fitted coaxially within at least some of said first-mentioned springs, outer plates making contact with said first-mentioned plates, said outer plates forming abutments for said other springs, flexible tying means extending between adjacent edges of said firstmentioned plates, and headed ties extending between said outer plates, said headed ties passing axially through said other springs, said flexible tying means and headed ties limiting the separation of said plates so as to maintain a predetermined minimum loading of all said springs.

4. A shock-absorbing device comprising two substantially oblong metal plates, a set of spring elements located between said plates and extending substantially perpendicularly thereto, each of said plates including a plurality of anchorages engaged by the end portions of said spring elements, each of said plates also including apertured flanges on opposite edges thereof, and flexible ties passing through the apertures of said flanges, said ties forming loops of determined length holding said plates together under predetermined minimum compression of said spring elements.

5. A shock absorbing device comprising two rigid metal plates, coiled compression springs interposed between said plates and extending perpendicularly thereto,

said plates being separated solely by means of said springs, hollow bosses projecting from said plates into the end coils of said springs, two corresponding edges of each of said plates being formed with flanges having apertures therein, said apertures in each of said plates being separated from one another by a distance equal at least to the width of one of said bosses, and flexible tying means extending between adjacent edges of said plates said tying means consisting of wires threaded through said apertures and extending along said flanges between pairs of said apertures, and said wires forming loops which limit the separation of said plates and maintain said plates and springs under a predetermined minimum loading.

6. A shock absorbing device according to claim 4, in which the length of each of said loops is such that the minimum compression of said spring elements is made equal to substantially half the complete compression of said spring elements.

7. A shock-absorbing device comprising two substantially oblong metal plates, a set of spring elements located between said plates and extending substantially perpendicularly thereto, each of said plates including a plurality of anchorages engaged by the end portions of said spring elements, each of said plates also including apertured flanges on opposite edges thereof, the longer edges of said flanges having outwardly beaded edges, and flexible ties passing over said beaded edges and through the apertures of said flanges, said ties forming loops of determined length holding said plates together under predetermined minimum compression of said spring elements.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 292,248 Mitchell Jan. 22, 1884 956,810 Lamasney et al. May 3, 1910 1,355,225 Gynn Oct. 12, 1920 1,616,546 Pierson Feb. 8, 1927 1,633,011 Frost June 21, 1927 1,684,234 Lipps Sept. 11, 1928 2,595,072 Gottschalk Apr. 29, 1952 2,615,707 Rowe et a1 Oct. 28, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 894,629 France Mar. 20, 1944 

